The market closed in the positive on optimism that the European Central Bank’s bond buying programme will help ease the problems in the debt-ridden continent. Yesterday we had mentioned that the higher high on the Nifty may change the direction. Today the index made a higher high and higher low and closed in the positive. Unless the benchmark breaks the previous day’s low, we see the trend up for now. The National Stock Exchange (NSE) saw volume of 51.75 crore shares and a advance decline ratio of 1151:523.
Tracking the global markets, which were boosted by the European Central Bank’s (ECB) bond buying plan to help distressed members, the domestic market too opened higher. The Nifty opened 71 points higher at 5,309 and the Sensex resumed trade at 17,576, a jump of 230 points over its previous close.
The opening figures on both benchmarks were their intraday lows. Across-the-board buying saw all trading in the positive. The market continued to trade firm on support from its global peers.
Meanwhile, the turmoil-ridden Monsoon Session of Parliament came to an end on Friday after most of its sittings were washed out over the controversial coal block allocation issue with the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) remaining unrelenting on its demand for resignation of prime minister Manmohan Singh.
The second-worst session since the 2009 Lok Sabha (Lower House) elections functioned for only six out of 19 days and was paralysed for remaining period due to the stand-off between government and the BJP.
Gains in the key European markets kept the local benchmarks on a higher trajectory in noon trade. The upmove enabled the market hit its intraday high in the last half hour with the Nifty touching 5,347 and the Sensex scaling 17,701.
The market closed marginally off the highs. The Nifty gained 104 points to 5,342 and the Sensex settled at 17,684, a jump of 337 points.
While the broader indices also joined the rally, they lagged behind the Sensex. The BSE Mid-cap index settled 1.14% higher and the BSE Small-cap index climbed 0.76%.
All sectoral indices closed higher today. The top gainers were BSE Capital Goods (3.04%); BSE Realty (up 2.70%); BSE Metal (up 2.66%); BSE Bankex (up 2.29%) and BSE Auto (up 1.99%).
Today’s rally saw all 30 shares in the Sensex list close higher. They were led by Tata Steel (up 5.72%); ICICI Bank (up 4.68%); Tata Motors (up 4.40%); Larsen & Toubro (up 3.86%) and Hindalco Industries (up 3.39%).
The top two A Group gainers on the BSE were—Jaiprakash Power Ventures (up 7.33%) and Indian Bank (up 6.74%).
The top two A Group losers on the BSE were—United Spirits (down 4.94%) and Torrent Power (down 4.39%).
The top two B Group gainers on the BSE were—Hikal (up 20%) and Store One Regail India (up 19.96%).
The top two B Group losers on the BSE were—Silicon Valley Infotech (down 18.18%) and Shri Lakshmi Cotsyn (down 15.18%).
Out of the 50 stocks listed on the Nifty, 47 stocks settled in the positive. The top gainers were DLF (up 5.71%); Tata Steel (up 5.55%); ICICI Bank (up 4.58%); L&T (up 4.25%) and Tata Motors (up 4.05%). BPCL (down 0.53%0 and Ranbaxy Laboratories (down 0.03%) were the two losers on the index.
Markets in Asia closed on a firm footing on hopes that the ECB’s bond buying plan will boost global economies. Adding to the good news, the Chinese government’s approval of new infrastructure projects to push growth saw the Shanghai Composite notching its best single-day gain in the last eight months.
The Shanghai Composite soared 3.70%; the Hang Seng jumped 3.09%; the Jakarta Composite advanced 0.99%; the KLSE Composite gained 0.41%; the Nikkei 225 climbed 2.20%; the Straits Times rose 0.75%; the Seoul Composite surged 2.57% and the Taiwan Weighted settled 1.34% higher.
At the time of writing, the key European indices were up between 0.16% and 1.11% and the US stock futures were in the green, indicating a positive opening for US stocks.
Back home, foreign institutional investors were net buyers of shares totalling Rs166.58 crore on Thursday whereas domestic institutional investors were net sellers of equities amounting to Rs33.76 crore.
Pharma major Aurobindo Pharma today said it has received final approval from the US FDA to manufacture and market Amlodipine Besylate and Benazepril Hydrochloride capsules, used for treating hypertension, in the American market. The capsules are generic bio-equivalent to Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp’s Lotrel capsules and the products are ready for launch. The stock jumped 3.39% to close at Rs123.40 on the NSE.
On day two of captive coal mines review by an inter-ministerial group (IMG), Reliance Power today said it has begun production ahead of schedule from its blocks Moher and Moher-Amlohri extension in Madhya Pradesh. The two blocks are meant to be used as fuel source for the 4,000 MW Sasan Ultra Mega Power Plant and are under the scanner of the IMG reviewing the status of coal block allocation. The stock rose 1.28% to close at Rs79.20 on the NSE.
State-owned Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) on Friday slashed fixed deposit rates on select maturities by up to 0.5% in line with several other banks including SBI. However, the bank has raised rate by a marginal 0.1% on fixed deposit of 5-10 years maturity to 9.10% as against 9%. OBC surged 4.99% to close at Rs299.55 on the NSE.
